Breeders' Cup 2014 Payouts: Complete Prize Money Purse and Results

Most wondered heading into the 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic whether Shared Belief would continue an undefeated career streak or if California Chrome could close out a storybook year with a victory. Bayern stole the spotlight instead.

In a Breeders' Cup send-off race that included a controversial start out of the gates and a thrilling photo finish, Bayern rose up and passed the test for yet another 2014 victory to end a magnificent year on a high note. 

Take a glance at how tight things were at the finish between Bayern, second-place finisher Toast of New York and third-placed California Chrome, per Breeders' Cup:

Here's a look at the full results from the 14-horse showdown:

Place	Horse
1	Bayern
2	Toast of New York
3	California Chrome
4	Shared Belief
5	Tonalist
6	Candy Boy
7	Cigar Street
8	Zivo
9	Imperative
10	Footbridge
11	V.E. Day
12	Prayer for Relief
13	Majestic Harbor
14	Moreno

With a $5 million purse for the race, the Breeders' Cup Classic is the most lucrative race in the sport, and that was reflected in the style of racing. Here's how much money the top three finishers are raking in after the result:

Finish	Horse	Jockey	Prize Money
Win	Bayern	Martin Garcia	$2.75 million
Place	Toast of New York	Jamie Spencer	$900,000
Show	California Chrome	Victor Espinoza	$500,000

A win is a win, and nothing will convince Bayern's owners and trainers of that more than the over $2 million raked in with the Classic victory. But this one will be debated for a long, long time.

Immediately when the race began, horses started slamming into each other like football players racing down the field in pursuit of a game-saving tackle. At the helm of the contact appeared to be Bayern, who cut sharply to the left, seeming to interfere with Shared Belief and Moreno on the inside.

Harry How/Getty Images

Alas, the race went along, and Bayern pulled out the tightest of victories over Toast of New York and California Chrome. But when an inquiry delayed the announcement of the winner, it was obvious what was in question.

To the disdain of many spectators and experts alike, however, Bayern wasn't given a disqualification for the early chaos and was still crowned the champion.

Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman was one of many horse racing reporters to critique the decision:

David Grening of Daily Racing Form sees it as a chance for the New York stewards to duck the criticism they've been facing:

As for ownership partner of Shared Belief Jim Rome, he was simply proud of his horse's fight in a fourth-place finish seemingly marred by Bayern's early move:

After ducking an explanation for the ruling immediately afterward, the Santa Anita Park stewards offered their reasoning.

"We all agree that Bayern broke in," Scott Chaney told The Courier-Journal's Jennie Rees. "… In our determination, it didn't happen in a point of the race where it was reasonable to speculate that they didn't finish in a position where they were reasonably expected to finish."

While the ruling will be debated for some time, there's little denying Bayern's dominance throughout 2014. The Triple Crown slate didn't go as planned, but he still had two $1 million victories prior to the Classic and rose above the best horses of the year.

The way Saturday's win unfolded might put a damper on Bayern's Horse of the Year honors, but it's hard to argue that another horse deserves it more.